Shadow of the HIVE
by MasterGhandalf
Summary: A new criminal mastermind is rising to power, determined to become the world's new leader of superhuman crime. Pitted against him are the Titans, Kid Flash, and Jinx, whose history may hold the key to defeating him.
1. Prologue: Vacuum

**AN:** This story is set in the same continuity as the rest of my "Teen Titans Saga". The other fics are not required to understand this one, but if you want to learn more about the HIVE Master and his previous encounter with Jinx, see "Luck of the Draw", and to see why he allied with Madame Rouge, check out "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter".

**Prologue: Vacuum**

"The time has come," the HIVE Master said quietly, drumming his fingers idly on the arm of his thronelike chair. Beneath his mask and the hood of his cloak his expression was nearly impossible to read, but his eyes and posture spoke of a man who was prepared to test himself against his enemies, and who believed that he had a very real chance of success. "Soon, the true rise of my empire will begin."

"I agree that the opportunity is a good one," Madame Rouge said from where she stood beside the chair. "The Brain and Monsieur Mallah remain in prison; Slade and General Immortus are missing, presumed dead; Brother Blood is in a coma*. There is a power vacuum in the superhuman underworld**."

"And nature abhors a vacuum," the Master finished for her. Lifting his staff from beside his chair, he began to toy with it, pressing a hidden switch on one side and sending currents of energy rushing up and down it. In spite of herself, Rouge flinched reflexively- on certain settings, the staff's energy was one of the few things she knew of that could do her permanent harm. "And what of you, Madame Rouge?" the Master asked softly, eyes following the dancing energy bolts. "Do you perhaps dream of overthrowing me in my moment of triumph and stealing all I have worked to build?"

Rouge snorted. "I have no desire to rule. Compensate me well and show me your enemies, and I will crush them for you. So long as you hold up your end of our contract, you have nothing to fear from me."

"Good." The Master stood and began to pace along the railing at the edge of his throne's platform, which overlooked the main body of his control room- empty for now, the HIVE soldiers and minions who normally staffed it having been dismissed to allow their leader and his most dangerous mercenary time to speak alone. Finally he stopped and turned back to her. "Now, I have another task for you. We need to broaden our ranks."

Rouge crossed her arms and regarded him coldly. "Am I not enough for you, then?" she asked.

"Remarkable as you are, there is only one of you." The Master returned to his throne and began to type on the keypad on one of the armrests, calling up images on the room's immense viewscreen. "I will need many more to achieve our goals. You will fetch them for me."

Rouge regarded the images on the screen with distaste. "You wish for these?" she asked. "I know them- they are pathetic. Surely we can do better than this!"

"They are fools, but they are pliable, and when given proper direction, they are powerful," the Master told her, voice frigid. "Besides, they have a history with the Titans- and with the renegade Jinx. If we are to succeed in our plans, they must be dealt with, and these five will help us accomplish it. Am I clear?"

"You are clear," Rouge said, her voice faintly grudging, though she knew better than to argue- it could easily cost her contract, and if she wasn't careful with this man, her life. She was fairly certain he had the means at his disposal to neutralize her powers, and she knew for a fact that he had an unhealthy interest in superhuman biology- she had no desire to end up as one of the specimens in his lab. "I will leave at once."

"Good. I trust this will not take long. You are dismissed." Rouge turned without a word and departed from the control room, leaving the Master alone on his throne, staff crackling with power as he contemplated his schemes. Yes, he thought quietly to himself, the hour was at hand- and son, the power he had dreamed of all of his adult life would be at his fingertips.

* Brother Blood was put into a coma by Raven's inner demon in "The Abyss Gazes Also"; General Immortus was defeated by Robin and Red X in "The Art of War"; Slade's master plan was stopped and he was apparently killed in "Sins of the Father". The Brain and Mallah were, of course, defeated in the show.

** I'm not going to write out Madame Rouge's accent- I don't feel I have enough of a handle on Russian to make it sound right, and she's a character I absolutely want you to take seriously. If you've seen the show, you know what she sounds like.


	2. Chapter 1: Plans in Motion

AN: Very, very sorry for the late update, everyone- I got distracted by finals, and then by the holidays. Hopefully, it won't happen again!

**Chapter 1: Plans in Motion**

The distinctive hissing sound of energy blasts being discharged from beam rifles filled the bank lobby, and Jinx barely had time to duck behind a heavy oaken desk to avoid being reduced to a pile of smoking cinders. Twisting around, she poked her head over the desk's edge and saw four figures in gleaming gold armor- HIVE soldiers- crouching beside marble pillars, weapons trained on her. Behind them, the door to the bank vault lay blasted off its hinges, and several more soldiers could be seen moving about inside, loading gold bars and other valuables into large sacks.

Jinx pulled back behind the desk and turned to face her partner, who crouched nearby. "I can't believe this!" she said, shaking her head. "This is the fifth HIVE raid in as many weeks. It's seriously starting to get on my nerves- and I'm sick of looking at those bug-eyed helmets. Haven't the Directors heard of a little thing called 'variety'?"

"Ah, cut 'em some slack," Kid Flash said, winking at her. "The whole "faceless goon" thing's a classic. But you're right- there's something going on here, and it's not good."

Jinx glanced over her shoulder at the HIVE troops and back at Kid Flash. "I think it's time we taught these creeps a lesson. Think you can take their toys away from them?"

He shot her a roguish grin. "Think you can take them down if I do?"

She returned the smile. "Watch me."

Almost before Jinx finished speaking, Kid Flash was gone, leaving only a rustle of air and the sound of a loud wind to mark his passage. Immediately she leaped to her feet and darted in front of the soldiers, hands raised and eyes burning. As one they raised their beam rifles and prepared to open fire- but before they had the chance to squeeze the triggers, something shot past them at incredible speed, leaving the criminal henchman staring in shock and horror at their suddenly empty hands.

The blur came to a halt beside Jinx, resolving itself into Kid Flash with four beam rifles cradles in his arms. The speedster shook his head sadly. "Come on," he said. "You're mothers must have told you it's not safe for little boys to play with firearms, right?" His arms momentarily became blurs again, and when they stilled the components of the pilfered weapons clattered to the ground harmlessly. "Oh, well. Guess they don't make assault weaponry like they used to, huh?"

He crossed his arms and regarded them calmly as they began to fumble for the beam pistols in their hip holsters. Before any of the HIVE soldiers managed to get their weapons ready, however, the air crackled with power and Jinx was forced to duck back, shielding her eyes. When she opened them, Kid Flash hovered a foot above the floor, sealed inside a pulsing sphere of purple energy. Jinx glanced to the entry of the vault, and saw one of the soldiers who'd been inside it standing their, a strange-looking projector held in both hands and aimed at the speedster. Its end glowed the same color as the prison.

"What's going on here?" Kid Flash demanded, his voice sounding weirdly distorted from inside the sphere.

"It worked!" the soldier with the projector declared. "Just as our Master said it would. Now quickly, you fools- kill the girl so we can head back to headquarters with our loot."

"Not if 'the girl' has anything to say about it!" Jinx hissed. She darted forward just as the soldiers opened fire, nimbly dodging their shots with an acrobat's grace. Rolling between the legs of a startled HIVE minion, she leveled one hand at the energy projector and released a hex. It struck the machine in a flash of pinkish-purple light, and then the device exploded, sending its wielder slamming back into the wall. The energy sphere pulsed one final time and dissipated, sending Kid Flash tumbling to the floor.

The HIVE soldiers reoriented on Jinx and aimed their weapons, but she spun towards them, sending hexes flying from both hands. They struck the floor at the soldiers' feet and the marble buckled, cracks opening in it that were directly placed to trap their legs. As they struggled to free themselves, Jinx spun to face the vault, where the four remaining soldiers were now running out, heading for the exit. A well-placed hex sent two of them sprawling, while the remaining two were intercepted just before reaching the door by a red-and-yellow blur that resolved into Kid Flash, who grabbed both of them by the shoulders and smacked their heads together. As the two soldiers crumpled, he wiped his hands and shook his head.

"Good henchmen must be hard to find these days," he said. "You'd think the HIVE could do better than this!"

"This isn't what worries me," Jinx said. "All these raids- they're gearing up for something- and I want to know what it is." Her eyes wandered to where the one who'd used the energy projector- apparently the leader- was sitting up against the wall and rubbing his head. "And I think I'm going to find out."

She walked over to the leader and grabbed him by the collar with one hand while forming a hex in the other. "All right," Jinx said. "I want answers, and I think you've got them. Now, my friend here's too nice to threaten you, but I'm not. I'm not always sure what my hexes will do, but I can guarantee that you won't like it. So unless you want me to hit you with one, talk. Who sent you?"

The leader laughed grimly. "You know who, traitor!"

"The Fifth Director?" Jinx pressed, though her gut told her she was right. "I thought your weapon looked like his work."

"The Fifth Director of the Inner Cirlce is no more," the soldier said. "He is Master of the HIVE now, and soon the world will be at his fingertips. Go ahead- blast me if you want. It won't save you. You can't stop him."

"We'll see about that," Jinx growled, letting the man slide from her grip and down to the floor. She'd seen his type before, and she didn't think she'd be getting anything more out of him. Straightening up, she turned to Kid Flash, who was studying a small device he'd taken from one of the soldiers' belts.

"Man," he said, shaking his head. "The HIVE's been busy, all right. This has their schedule on it- if it's right, they've been doing a lot of raids we never caught on to, all over the place. And it's got places where they've got operations planned on there too." He handed her the pad. "Anything look familiar."

Jinx's eyes scanned the list of city names, and widened when they came to one she recognized. "All right," she said. "Let's get these guys to prison, and then I think we need to go to Jump City." She looked up at Kid Flash, who nodded. "I think the Titans may be needing a little help."

# # # # # # # # # # # #

In spite of his small size, Gizmo was in a truly towering fury as he paced back and forth on the HIVE Five's computer console (so that he would be tall enough to look his teammates in the eyes), ranting angrily. "You scumsucking morons are pathetic!" he shouted. "The Titans are out of commission for days*, then are all busy tidying things back up for _weeks_, and what do we have to show for it? A shopping cart full of used DVDs we already have, boxes worth of computer hardware that aren't remotely compatible with our systems, and _a whole bulk shipment of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!_" As he listed off each item, his gaze shifted from one team member to the next, before finally settling on Mammoth.

"But I _like_ Peanut Butter Cups," the strongman said defensively, shrugging. Gizmo threw up his hands in disgust.

"That's not the point!" he shouted. "The point is that we're supposed to be bad news, and instead we're stealing worthless junk that we can't use and nobody'll miss!"

"Well maybe if our fearless leader came along with us instead of sitting at home playing video games, we might have been a little more productive," See-more muttered under his breath, while beside him Kyd Wykkyd nodded in approval and turned his flat, red-eyed stare on Gizmo.

The tiny leader snarled in fury and pulled a beam pistol from his belt, leveling it at See-more's helmet. "You wanna say that again, you snotmunching one-eyed freak?" Then he sighed and holstered the weapon again. "Ah, what's the point? Almost makes me wish Brother Blood was back- at least we got stuff done when he was around!"

A thickly accented chuckle echoed through the base. Gizmo started and yanked his gun out again, aiming wildly across the room and causing his teammates to duck even as they prepared their own attacks. Slowly, they all turned to face the main door even as a thick slime slid out from under it and formed into a tall woman in a red jumpsuit who folded her arms and regarded them coldly.

"Madame Rouge," Gizmo said, gulping and taking a step backwards. His weapons were good, but even he wouldn't test them against this opponent without being absolutely forced to, and he could tell that the rest of the HIVE Five shared that sentiment.

Madame Rouge stepped forward, her reptilian eyes glinting with malice as they swept the room. "Well, well," she murmured. "Gizmo and the HIVE Five, I see. Your security systems are even more pathetic that they were the last time I was here." A slow smile crossed her features. "But come, children. I have an… offer for you."

*The Titans were put out of commission by a spell cast by the demon sorcerer Veneficus in "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter".


	3. Chapter 2: The Master's Offer

**Chapter 2: The Master's Offer **

Cyborg gave a tremendous yawn as he came awake, biological systems rested and mechanical systems recharged. Jumping to his feet, he stretched widely- a habit left over from the days when he'd been fully human, as his current body certainly didn't require it- and then made his way out of his room and towards the living room.

Upon reaching his destination, he found that he was the first one up (which Cyborg took as a plus, since it meant he wouldn't have to deal with Beast Boy's attempts to trick him into eating tofu instead of meat or Starfire's latest attempt to import Tamaranean cuisine- sweet girl, lousy cook). After starting up a nice breakfast consisting of waffles, eggs, and bacon (the latter one hundred percent real meat), he interfaced with the Tower's central computer to check if there had been any disturbances during the night that might require the team's attention. After confirming that everything was all clear, he sat down to enjoy his breakfast.

The rest of the team trickled in slowly as morning progressed- Robin first, followed shortly by Starfire, then Raven, and finally Beast Boy taking up the rear a good deal later than the others, still rubbing his eyes. Robin and Star both shared Cyborg's cooking (though Star coated her waffles in a strange mixture of mustard and syrup that looked deeply unpleasant, but was nonetheless eaten with great gusto), while Beast Boy grumbled about being a vegetarian as he fixed the tofu equivalent and Raven, for her part, only drank a cup of her favorite tea. Cyborg shook his head- she obviously got nutrition from somewhere, but he could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen her actually _eat_ since the Titans had been formed.

"Come, friends," Starfire said after finishing her meal. "How shall we occupy our day?"

"Well, I just checked," Cyborg told her, "and there's not a single bad guy in sight, so I say that means combat practice and then- beach party!"

"Glorious!" Starfire said, clapping her hands; Beast Boy perked up notably at the word "beach" and Robin gave a thumbs up, while Raven's only reaction was the quiet nod that indicated she approved so long as Beast Boy didn't try and force her to surf again.

"Well, all right then," Cyborg said, "let's get-" his voice was cut off as one of the Tower alarms began to blare loudly. "Aww, man. Couldn't the bad guys have just given us a couple of hours?"

Robin raced to the computer and began to pull up the report on the disturbance. "Looks like the source of the problem is downtown," he said. "A research lab is under attack by a bunch of goons in armor- and I think you're all going to recognize the uniforms." He turned the monitor to face the rest of the team; the picture it displayed was that of a man in bright yellow combat armor, wearing a helmet shaped like an insect's head, complete with bulging, faceted eyes.

Cyborg knew that armor, and he doubted he'd ever forget the man who had commanded soldiers like these. That man was permanently incapacitated now, courtesy of Raven's inner demon, but whoever his successor was, they were clearly more than willing to continue his work. "The HIVE," Cyborg said softly.

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Gizmo followed Madam Rouge down a long, featureless metal hallway, the rest of the HIVE Five following closely behind him. The criminal team was clearly out of sorts in this creepy place- even Mammoth was trying to make himself seem small and harmless, and failing miserably- but for once Gizmo couldn't find it in himself to berate them. The fact of the matter was this place scared him too, and Madam Rouge scared him worse. He was hardly a master of subtlety, but here even he knew that talking out of turn would not by wise.

Unfortunately, other members of the team weren't so perceptive. "Where're we goin', anyway?" Billy Numerous demanded from his place near the back of the line. "Are we there yet? I'm gettin' bored walkin' down this tunnel!"

Madam Rouge stopped and turned her head towards him- just her head, rotating on her neck until it faced completely backwards; the rest of her body was perfectly still- and Gizmo prepared himself for pain. But the superhuman assassin only gave one of her pitiless smiles. "You will see," she said, then glanced down at Gizmo. "But you had best control your flunky in our leader's presence- he doesn't like having his time wasted."

Gizmo managed to nod once and gulp. Rouge met each of the HIVE Five's eyes and then nodded once, before continuing on. Finally, the tunnel ended in what appeared to be nothing more than a blank wall. Rouge, however, marched towards it and spoke a series of letters and numbers that had to be some sort of access code. The wall shuddered and retracted, and Rouge and her guests walked inside.

The room they entered was a small observation chamber that appeared to have been built into the side of a mountain- no doubt the same mountain they'd seen from the air in Rouge's jet, just before she'd landed. The view was spectacular, or so Gizmo supposed- he'd never had much time or appreciation for nature, machines being far more to his taste. The walls that weren't taken up with the windows were lined with books, and in the center was a small computer terminal. Behind the terminal on a small rise was a large, thronelike chair- and in the chair sat a man Gizmo recognized.

"You!" he blurted out without thinking.

The man in the hood and featureless cloth mask gave a quiet chuckle. "Yes," he said. "Me. We met once before, a few months ago, didn't we, Gizmo? I was still the Fifth Director of the Inner Circle then, but I've come up in the world since. You may now call me _Master_."

"Master of what?" Gizmo asked.

"The HIVE," the cloaked man said.

"The HIVE was our school!" Mammoth said, his small mind trying to work out how this was possible. "But it blew up a long time ago."

"The HIVE is much more than a school, believe me," the Master said. Regally, he rose from his throne and turned to look out the window. "The HIVE was founded decades ago by a council of the world's greatest criminal scientists, including myself. The HIVE Mistress and her lackey, the First Director, were our leaders, and we founded the HIVE academy to recruit and train superhuman mercenaries for out operations." He clenched his fist and sparks played around the glove. "Alas, it was not to be. The madman Brother Blood used his telepathy to hijack the Academy and turn it into his own private army, leaving us without direct oversight. Recently, there were further troubles, certain power squabbles within our organization that led to the Mistress's arrest- and my own rise to power. Now I intend to bring this organization back to its rightful place at the head of the criminal underworld, but to do that, certain obstacles must be removed." He turned back to the HIVE Five. "That's where you boys come in."

"Wait a second, here," See-more put in. "We haven't even agreed to work for you yet. You can't just boss us around!"

The Master exchanged a dark glance with Madam Rouge. "Oh, I think I could, if it came to that. But fear is such a clumsy way to control an empire. Tell me, children, what is it that you want?"

"Money!" See-more and Billy Numerous shouted.

"Power!" said Gizmo, almost salivating.

"Food!" put in Mammoth.

"I can give that to you," the Master said. "Agree to serve me- rejoin the HIVE- and together we can restore the rightful order of the criminal world and you can have everything you desire. You all have power, but think what you've been reduced to- scavengers and petty thugs, robbing small businesses and jewelry stores while dodging the Teen Titans. Is that what you want? You were made for greater things, and I can show you the way."

"Yeah," Gizmo said. "I like where this is going!"

"And, in case you need further incentive, I believe you are familiar with this individual." The Master moved over to his computer and pressed a key- instantly a holographic display activated, showing the head and shoulders of a girl with grey skin and vivid pink hair and eyes.

"Jinx!" Gizmo shouted. "Pitsniffing traitor! If I had that snoteating sellout here now I'd-" Gizmo stopped, unable to think of a fate quite horrible enough for the HIVE Five's ex-leader."

"You want revenge?" the Master asked. "Good. Jinx stands in our way, as do the Titans. All who stand in the path of the HIVE must be crushed- and I think your group would be more than happy to take part in the crushing."

"You bet we would," Gizmo said maliciously, rubbing his hands together. "You've got yourself a deal, Mister- er, Master."

"Excellent," the Master said. "Go with Madam Rouge- she will direct you where and when to strike. Soon, now, we will change the world."

As the HIVE Five left the observation room, Gizmo could hear the other talking excitedly among themselves about what they'd do with the kind of money the Master would surely be paying in a world where he was the most powerful of all criminals. Gizmo, however, heard only one word that kept replaying over and over again in his brilliant, yet petty and vicious mind. _Revenge._


	4. Chapter 3: Clash

**Chapter 3: Clash**

Smoke was trailing from the research center's windows, while a group of about six HIVE soldiers were marching something large, rectangular, and cloth-covered down the building's front steps, watched over by several more of their compatriots, who held their beam rifles at the ready. Cyborg took in the scene quickly as he pulled the T-car to a stop across the street, his mechanical systems kicking in and analyzing the deployment, weapons, and tactics of the criminal mercenaries. It all looked like standard HIVE stuff, with which Cyborg, who had spent time in the Academy while undercover, was quite familiar, but he was sure there was something he wasn't seeing. If there was one thing he'd learned during his time with the Titans, it was that bad guys never played fair.

As soon as the car had come to a halt, the doors flew open and the team piled out to face the enemy; Robin in the middle with his staff at the ready, with Cyborg on one side and Beast Boy (in the form of a gorilla) on the other, while Starfire and Raven hovered just behind them, preparing to unleash starbolts and magic. The HIVE soldiers backed up nervously at the sight of them and raised their weapons; the leader was tapping the side of his helmet with one hand, and Cyborg had a nasty suspicion that he was getting on the comlink with someone.

"There's no way you're going to win this," Robin said. "So how about you just put down the… whatever it is you've got there, and we'll go easy on you." The HIVE commander's only response was to level his weapon and fire, while his men followed suit. Before any of the energy beams could strike, however, a shield leaped up around the team and intercepted them, absorbing the bolts harmlessly into an inky void. The soldiers stepped back in shock, and Raven dismissed her magic with a wave of her hand.

"We won't give up, Titans!" the HIVE leader spat. "You may win this battle, but you won't win the war!"

"You bet we're going to win the battle _and_ the war!" Cyborg shot back. "Man, you picked the wrong day to mess with the Teen Titans- and you can go back and tell your boss I said it. You can also tell him that if he's picking up Brother Blood's leftovers, we're not impressed."

"Brother Blood is irrelevant," the soldier replied. "The HIVE now serves its true Master, and he will destroy you and anyone else who opposes him."

"I don't much care for your attitude," Robin said. "And I also think it's time someone taught you that crime doesn't pay. Titans, go!"

The HIVE soldiers opened fire once again, but before the barrage could strike the team had already scattered. Starfire soared above their heads, blasting with starbolts from both hands and eyes and sending them scurrying backwards in a panic, looking for cover. Others backed up, firing at anything that came close, when the shadows shimmered behind them and Raven materialized, knocking them unconscious with a casual wave of one hand. Beast Boy had shifted again to the form of a giant python and was now wrapped tightly around two soldiers at once, who were trying frantically and failing to dislodge him, while Robin was dueling the leader, who had tossed his gun aside and now wielded a staff similar to the Titan leader's own, though it was obvious to even a casual observer that Robin was winning. Behind them, the soldiers holding the stolen object had placed it carefully down and aimed their beam weapons directly at the Boy Wonder's back, but before they could fire Cyborg leveled his sonic canon and the ground directly in front of them and unleashed a blast that knocked them all back to the ground.

"Let's let them sort it out, 'kay?" he said.

Turning back towards the battle, he saw that most of the soldiers were in retreat, and Robin had just disarmed the leader and now had him pinned back against the research center's wall, staff pointed at his throat. "All right," he said, "talk. Who are you really working for? What were you trying to steal?"

"See for yourself, kid," the soldier replied with a bitter chuckle. "But I'll warn you now- you may not like what you'll find."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin demanded, but the soldier only grinned without replying. Sighing, Robin smacked him aside the head with his staff, knocking him unconscious, and then turned to Cyborg, who was nearest to the covered object. "Take the cloth off," he said, "but be careful- we don't know what's in there."

"Got it," Cyborg said, nodding; he turned back towards the object and quickly jerked the cloth off, jumping back as he did so. No explosion or energy blast came from inside, however, so both he and the other Titans cautiously approached and looked down on what had just been revealed- a large, but apparently empty, wooden crate.

"There is nothing there," Starfire said, bafflement in her voice. "On certain planet, such a conveyance would be of great value, but I believe that on Earth it is worthless. What were they trying to do?"

"Maybe whatever's in there is cloaked," Cyborg said. "Let me scan it." Altering his artificial eye's settings, he ran his gaze over the crate again, and then studied sensor readings on his arm before shaking his head again. "Nothing. This is perfectly ordinary wood, and it's perfectly empty."

"We've been tricked," Raven said. "That's the only explanation that makes sense."

"That's right," a cold, female voice said just as a bolt of pure white energy lanced from the research center's door and struck the crate, shattering it into flaming splinters. The team jumped or flew back and turned to face the direction both voice and beam had come from; there in the door stood (no- hovered a few inches off the ground) a short, slender woman in blue-purple armor, cloak, and cloth mask, her eyes- the only part of her that was visible- narrowed dangerously.

"You the one who these creeps were working for?" Cyborg asked. "Thought they said their boss was a man."

"He is," the armored woman replied. "I am merely his representative- the Third Director of the Inner Circle, once the Master's equal, now his lieutenant. And you are the Teen Titans- I must admit, I'm not impressed."

"Yeah, well, we're not impressed with you either," Cyborg said, "so let's just get this over with now, before anyone else gets hurt." Leveling his sonic cannon directly at her, he opened fire- only for her to casually reach up one hand and bat the blast away harmlessly.

"Force field technology," Third said with a coldly smug note in her voice. "I'm sure you're familiar with the basics, Cyborg. I'm quite resistant to anything you can throw at me."

"Man," Beast Boy groaned. "Why do the bad guys always get the cool gadgets? Why don't we have force fields?"

"It doesn't matter," Robin said. "Nobody's invincible- so it looks like we'll have to do this the hard way. Titans, take her!" Barely were the words out of his mouth when the team exploded into motion, charging directly towards Third with everything they had at the ready. Unfortunately, however, neither brute strength nor starbolts nor magic was sufficient to batter down the Director's energy shields; she simply hovered in place as their attacks were reflected, idly tapping keys on the back of one of her gauntlets and studying what appeared to be sensor readouts.

"Who _makes_ this tech, anyway?" Cyborg demanded as one of his bunches bounced harmlessly off the shield. "'Cause I'm not sure whether I want to shake his hand or knock him out!"

"The base technology is mine," Third said casually. "I've always been gifted with shields. However, my Master- a man of many talents- helped improve the design. I'm quite safe from anything you can throw at me." Though her face was hidden by her mask, Cyborg couldn't help but get the impression she was smiling viciously. "Now, it's my turn." Raising both hands, she began to fire blasts of burning white energy from her gloves, which left smoking holes in the concrete where they struck the street and forced the Titans to retreat. Cyborg winced as one struck near the T-car's parking place- if she hit his car with one of those, then shield or no shield he was going to…

Suddenly, Third staggered as a bolt of pale purple energy struck her shield, followed closely by another. For a moment, the shield flickered around her, and then collapsed completely. "No!" she hissed. "This can't be happening…"

"Oh, but it can," a mocking voice said. "See, you can shield against a lot of things, but you can't run or hide from some really bad luck." Almost as one, the Titans and the Director turned towards the sound and saw a girl with grey skin, wild pink hair, and glowing eyes standing against a street sign, another hex forming between her hands- Jinx.

"And for the record," a jaunty voice rang out, "this is happening too!" A sudden yellow blur slammed into Third and knocked her off her feet, leaving her sprawling on the pavement. The blur quickly skidded to a halt and resolved into Kid Flash, who looked down at the fallen criminal with a look of mild distaste. "Huh. Expected that to be harder."

Third scrambled to her feet and looked around to see the Titans, Jinx, and Kid Flash closing in. "So I see that unanticipated elements have been added to the equation," she mused. "Don't think your victory here earns you anything but a brief rest, Titans. The HIVE has far more resources than just me to throw at you, after all, and soon, you will be buried beneath them." She tapped a device on the back of one of her gauntlets lightly; there was a brilliant flash of light, and she was gone without a trace.

"Don't you just hate it when the bad guys do that?" Kid Flash said, looking around at the others.

Beast Boy looked at the empty space where Third had been, then to Kid Flash and Jinx, and then back. "Dude!" he said. "Can somebody please explain to me what on Earth is going on here?"

"I'd like to know too," Robin said, "and it seems a bit unlikely that you two would show up here just at the same time as these guys if it was coincidence. I'm guessing you all have met."

"Yeah," Jinx said, "there's definitely some history here. And there's a lot more going on than just some HIVE soldiers and a mad scientist lady with an attitude problem. We think something big is about to go down, and it's going down here." She sighed and rubbed a hand across her forehead. "Let me start at the beginning…"


End file.
